These high altitude French madeleines are classic French cookies with crisp edges and soft, cakey centers. I’ve flavored mine with a subtle hint of cardamom and vanilla and coated them in sugar for a simple but delicious treat that you can serve for breakfast or dessert. And be sure to see the recipe variations section in today’s post for instructions on using this same recipe to make other flavors such as almond, lemon or orange, spice, red velvet, chocolate dipped, and the best chocolate madeleines, too.
You might also love these high altitude tested recipes for choux pastry, Bavarian cream pie, and beignets.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Both Cake and Cookie. This delicate French cookie is very much like a mini sponge cake that’s baked in a special shell shaped mold. Think of it as a soft bite sized cake with lightly crisp and buttery edges that are reminiscent of a cookie. Although, honestly, it’s more cake than cookie, in my opinion. They have a characteristic “hump” or dome when the batter rises up as they bake.
Easy to Make. This is actually a very easy recipe, although it does require a bit of patience in waiting for the dough to chill before baking the cookies.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Eggs. Be sure the eggs are at room temperature before you whip them with the sugar. If they are cold from the fridge, place them in a bowl of very warm water for several minutes to take the chill off.
- Sugar. Adds sweetness, as well as creates the browned edges on the cookies.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Flour. Use plain all purpose flour to give the cookies structure and strength.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent.
- Spices. Salt adds flavor to baked goods, and a pinch of ground cardamom is just wonderful with the butter and vanilla.
- Butter. This recipe uses quite a lot of melted butter, which adds moisture and flavor, as well as the crisp edges.
Instructions
Make and Chill the Batter
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes on medium speed (#6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) until pale, thick and ribbony. Whisk in the vanilla extract and the milk.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom, then use a whisk or spatula to add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, just until combined.
- Add the melted butter, and gently stir into a smooth batter.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter for 3 hours until well chilled, or overnight.
Bake the Madeleines
- Brush your madeleine pans lightly with butter, then place the pans in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Use a small cookie scoop with a release lever or a spoon to scoop dollops of chilled batter into the chilled pan. You should fill each mold with 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter. There’s no need to spread the batter out into the mold; it will spread out and fill the molds as the madeleines bake.
- Bake the madeleines for about 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the cookies are puffed and set in the center, but be careful not to over-bake, or they will dry out.
- Cool in the pan for several minutes, then turn the cookies out of the pan and dust with powdered sugar or granulated sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Variations
- Vanilla Bean. Instead of vanilla extract, use the same amount of vanilla bean paste for a more intense flavor.
- Almond. Add 1 tsp almond extract.
- Lemon or Orange. Rub a teaspoon of fresh lemon or orange zest into the sugar before whipping it with the eggs.
- Spices. Besides cardamom, you can try a little ground ginger, nutmeg, or any number of spices to flavor your cookies.
- Chocolate Dipped Madeleines. Madeleines look gorgeous when they’re dipped in chocolate. You can just dip them into melted chocolate, or drizzle it on top, if you prefer. But if you want to get the shell shape on the chocolate, then first, thoroughly wash and dry your madeleine pans. Use a small spatula to spread about two teaspoons of melted chocolate (chocolate chips work just fine) into each of the clean molds, not quite to the edges. Then press your madeleines into the chocolate until the chocolate comes up to the edge. Freeze the pans for 20 minutes, then pop the cookies out of the molds. You may need to gently insert a butter knife under the madeleines at one end to get the chocolate to release from the pan. If it doesn’t release easily, then freeze them for a few minutes longer.
- Chocolate Madeleines. To make chocolate madeleines, simply replace 2 tbsp of flour with 2 tbsp unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder. No other adjustments are needed, although I did also add 1/2 tsp almond extract. The rich chocolatey flavor, complemented with a hint of cardamom and almond is just wonderful.
- Red Velvet Madeleines. To make red velvet madeleines, simply add 1/2 tsp vinegar (white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar) and 1/2 – 1 tsp red gel food coloring when you whisk in the milk. Then add 1 tsp unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder when you add the flour.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
I used this set of two madeleine pans. These have a longer oval shell shape, while some pans will have a rounder shell shape. This USA Bakeware Pan would also be a great option. I highly recommend buying several pans, so that you don’t need to wash and chill the pan again in between batches.
Store the leftover madeleines in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
With this recipe, you’re basically making a sponge cake batter, and if your cake is dense, then these are the most likely reasons: Your eggs were too cold when you whipped them with the sugar. You did not whip the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Your batter and/or pan was not chilled sufficiently. You measured too much flour; be sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method for measuring flour. Never use the measuring cup to scoop flour out of the bag or canister, which can compact it, resulting in dense, dry baked goods.
Chilling the batter serves several purposes, including letting the gluten to relax and the flavors in the batter to develop. It also helps to contribute the the characteristic hump, an indication that your madeleines have risen tall and fluffy, not remained flat and dense. You’ll achieve the best results after chilling your batter overnight.
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High Altitude French Madeleines
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (plus a little extra for greasing the pan)
- powdered sugar or granulated sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Make and Chill the Batter
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes on medium speed (#6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) until pale, thick and ribbony. Whisk in the vanilla extract and the milk.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom, then use a whisk or spatula to add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, just until combined.
- Add the melted butter, and gently stir into a smooth batter.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter for 3 hours until well chilled, but preferably overnight.
Bake the Madeleines
- Brush your madeleine pans lightly with butter, then place the pans in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. (If your pans are older, and have lost their non-stick coating, you may also need to dust them with flour after you butter them, to ensure the cookies don't stick.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Use a small cookie scoop with a release lever or a spoon to scoop dollops of chilled batter into the chilled pan. You should fill each mold with 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter. There's no need to spread the batter out into the mold; it will spread out and fill the molds as the madeleines bake.
- Bake the madeleines for about 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the cookies are puffed and set in the center, but be careful not to over-bake, or they will dry out.
- Cool in the pan for several minutes, then turn the cookies out of the pan and dust with powdered sugar or granulated sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Made these today and they were perfect!!! Flavor was amazing. Here’s what I did….used vanilla bean paste, did use the cardamom, and since we don’t drink whole milk I used 1/2 tbl of half/half and 1/2 tbl 1% milk. I did let the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight as Heather suggested and the cookies baked up beautifully – perfectly domed and wonderfully moist. We dipped half of the batch in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and put in the freezer per the recipe instructions; dusted the other half with granulated sugar. Both were a hit with my family – so much so making another batch for tomorrow! Thank you Heather for a recipe that is both amazing in flavor and visually appealing (wish I could post a picture) – these cookies are a winner!!!
I’m so glad you loved them! The chocolate dip makes them so stunning 🙂
Hi Heather, your website is amazing for the baking addiction I have. First time trying to bake a Madeleine(used the red velvet variation), and the “hump” was a lot taller than expected. Do you know what could have caused this?
It sounds like they turned out just right! The hump indicates the batter was mixed correctly, the gluten has relaxed during the chill time, and the pan and batter were sufficiently chilled.
I was first introduced to these pretty llittle ladies when someone at work brought in a box from Costco. I instantly fell in love! This recipe is wonderful!! Flavor and texture second to none. Such an elegant little dessert. Be careful not to turn these lovely cakes unto your cooling rack too soon. I did and left grid marks on the tops. Given that I bake regularly, I appreciate this small batch recipe (made 12 cakes).
It worked! I was going to give up on Madeleines, have tried many recipes and thought maybe they just don’t work at our altitude. Fortunately I stumbled upon Curly Girl Kitchen on IG and YAAAAYYY it worked! Finally made lovely madeleines. I’m so happy & satisfied – thank you!
This makes me so happy to hear!